Smudged Ink and Bloody Fingerprints
by KStar
Summary: It's a story of empty promises, broken hearts, and crimson vengeance. Collection of oneshots surrounding the infamous Uchiha brothers. 02: Death by Vengeance Sasuke's revenge does not turn out as he hoped and Naruto can't fix him this time...
1. Ambition

Fandom: Naruto

Title: Ambition

Author: KStar

Theme: #27, Line between Love and Hate

Characters: Sasuke and Itachi

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Summary: Sasuke Uchiha hates his brother more than he ever thought capable of. And yet, when it comes to love and hate, one can only see gray…

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"Those who hate most fervently must have once loved deeply; those who want to deny the world must have once embraced what they now set on fire."

-Kurt Tucholsky

Sasuke Uchiha hates his brother. He hates him more than he ever thought he could hate anyone.

Itachi was the one who killed their family. Itachi was the one who used him as a guinea pig for the Mangekyou. Itachi was the one who caused him to abandon the only good thing in his life, his team. Itachi was the one who drove Sasuke insane. Itachi was the one who ruined his life. But, worst of all, Itachi was the one who left him behind…

And simultaneously broke his innocent heart…

There was a time when Sasuke loved Itachi with all his heart. A time when Itachi was a god…no, not a god. The Uchihas had thought Itachi was a god and look where that got them. Sasuke worshipped his brother, but on a completely different level, on a whole other stage. He wanted to be just as strong as Itachi and just as cool and just as calm. He wanted to be just like his aniki.

_A cynical grin twists on Sasuke's face. _ In retrospect, he has become just like his brother. Funny how ironic life is.

Itachi told him that he, Sasuke, did not have enough hate yet. Sasuke secretly thinks he is right. Even if he hands over his body willingly to Orochimaru, even if he can somehow kill Naruto to gain the Mangekyou (which will never happen because Naruto is the one person Sasuke could never kill, no matter how much he denies it), Sasuke will still not have enough hate. He never will. Because to hate Itachi as much as his nii-san wants him to hate him, and as much as Sasuke wants to hate him, is an impossible feat. How can you completely hate someone you once loved above all else?

You can't. Sasuke knows he's being played with. He knows that everything he has done, every move he has made, has been through Itachi. Even now he tries to honor his big brother's parting words to learn to hate, to get stronger, to come find him when he has the same eyes as Itachi. A tiny part of Sasuke breaks all over again as he knows that he can only disappoint his aniki. He will never get the same eyes as Itachi because he needs the Mangekyou and the only way to do that is to kill one's closest friend. That means Naruto, and Sasuke is fairly positive that will never happen. (And even if by some twist of fate, he was able to kill the bubbly blonde ninja, Sasuke is pretty sure that he wouldn't obtain the Mangekyou anyway because, really, Itachi is Sasuke's most precious person.)

So as Sasuke tries desperately to convince himself that he will gain enough hate and enough power to kill Naruto and destroy Itachi, he knows he is only fooling himself. It's stupid, insane, and rather unhealthy, but Sasuke can't seem to care. He isn't going to escape from this in one piece, and he's rather indifferent to that, too. Sasuke lost any faith and concern for himself the day he lost his sanity, his family, and his beloved older brother. He hates his brother; he really does. And yet…

…There is a fine line between love and hate. Sasuke Uchiha has jumped the fence so many times back and forth, he isn't quite sure what side he's on anymore. And really, that's what scares him the most.

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	2. Death by Vengeance

**Title:** Death by Vengeance**  
**Author: KStar  
Theme(s): Theme #9, (Shattered Heart)  
Pairing/Characters: Sasuke, Itachi, Naruto  
Rating: PG-13 for death and language  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto  
Summary: In which Sasuke learns how empty vengeance truly is and Naruto discovers that he can't always make things right, especially when it comes to his best friend.

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"Vengeance taken will often tear the heart and torment the conscience."  
-Arthur Schopenhauer

It wasn't hard for Sasuke to sneak back through Konoha's gates and slip unseen into the old Uchiha compound. Even with his severe injuries, avoiding the ANBU was child's play. He scoffed momentarily thinking that if this was the Hidden Leaf's finest, they were in for a rather unpleasant surprise. During his time in Oto, he had grown considerably more adept in chakra control, enough so that he could suppress his chakra into virtually nothing. It was by far one of his lesser new abilities.

His swirling crimson eyes faded into simple black as he entered the Uchiha compound. He slid among the shadows until he was in front of his former home. He stood outside a moment, gazing at the faded windows and abandoned ruin. Slowly, not turning his head, his eyes glanced to the left then he slipped off his shoes and limped inside the house. He didn't care about the pair of blue eyes that watched him from their owner's hiding place on the roof of an adjacent house. For once in his life Sasuke could care less about Naruto following him.

Upon entering the dwelling, the Uchiha sneezed from the lingering dust. No one had seemingly entered these walls in years, not since Sasuke's departure from Konoha. As the young avenger advanced, he was struck with a wave of memories. He clutched his lacerated arm and closed his eyes, banishing visions of his mother and father from his mind. His other hand gripped a soiled, bloodied, dark material. Warm, sticky blood dripped to the floor in Sasuke's wake as he moved with liquid grace to his destination.

He passed the kitchen, the sitting room, the room in which he found his murdered parents (he was so not going to think about that), and his old bedroom without a second thought. His eyes were hard and dry as he approached the last bedroom, fingers releasing his arm and cautiously reaching up to the sliding door. Sasuke paused and cursed himself for his hesitance. There was no reason to be nervous; all who once resided in this house were dead and gone. Nevertheless, he couldn't keep the bile from rising in his throat (it held the copper taste of blood) over what he would find.

The door slid open with a reluctant squeak from not having been used in a very long time. The thick smell of dust hit Sasuke's nose followed by a subtler scent barely still there and only he could recognize. Itachi. The room was dark, and Sasuke unknowingly activated his Sharingan as he closed the door behind him with a soft swish. Everything was just as his brother had left it all those years ago, not a thing out of place.

He sat down on his brother's futon, both hands now clasping the cloth he brought along. The red clouds seemed to glow from the tattered, drenched material. As Sasuke's head rested on the pillow, he curled under his brother's old sheets and dragged the Akatsuki cloak around his body. His hand lay limp before him, and he stared at the Shu emblem on the ring encircled about his right ring finger. Then his gaze traveled beyond his hand to the only picture frame sitting on the bedside table. Beneath the coat of dust, two brothers were laughing, Sasuke supported on Itachi's back, their bright smiles reaching their ebony eyes as the two stared at one another. Itachi's eyes never looked like that for anyone else.

Sasuke hastily turned on his other side, ignoring his sore, protesting ribs. The white sheets were quickly staining an ugly brownish, red from Sasuke's injuries, but the former avenger couldn't seem to care. He buried himself further into Itachi's scent and bit his lip until it bled to stop his eyes from watering.

There was a stiff creak as Itachi's bedroom door opened. Light spilled into the room, illuminating the prone Uchiha on the bed. Sasuke did not bother to look at Naruto; he did not move or speak. Similarly, the fox boy stood poised in the doorway, one hand resting against the wall. His mouth was drawn into a thin line, and his cerulean eyes were icy, angry, yet confused. He stared at his former best friend a moment then asked, "What are you doing here, Sasuke?"

The ninja in question did not immediately respond. He tightened his grip on his brother's cloak and gazed forward with red eyes. "It's none of your business, idiot," he replied slowly hoping he didn't sound as unsure as he felt. "Please, Naruto, just leave me alone."

"Damn it, you bastard! Anything you do in _my_ village is _my_ business, got that!" the blonde hissed darkly. He didn't know what Sasuke was up to, didn't know why he had come home. He unwillingly squashed any hope trying to bubble up as he thought of his former best friend.

Sasuke sighed softly. His left arm was going numb. Leave it to Naruto to always find a way to wiggle into Sasuke's dead heart. There was a lengthy pause until the Uchiha could take it no longer and admitted, "I didn't think it would hurt this much."

Naruto's eyes softened, and he took a slow step into the room. He had a nasty feeling he knew what this was all about. Itachi was dead; there was no other explanation for it. Internally, he wanted to jump for joy that the man who caused his best friend so much pain and who tried to kill Naruto was dead. "Sasuke…" he said softly, but the other boy beat him to it.

The avenger's voice had taken on a lighter edge as he gave a wavering laugh. "It wasn't supposed to happen like this, you know? I was supposed to kill him and enjoy myself as he experienced the same pain he put me through. It wasn't…I wasn't…God, Naruto, why does it hurt so much?" Sasuke turned his head and looked his teammate in the eyes. Naruto gasped lightly, the Mangekyou Sharingan staring back at him. The pain on his friend's face was raw and heart wrenching, striking the bubbly teenager speechless for once in his life.

Sasuke deflated, winced, and turned away again. His eyes searched for some unknown ghost as they once again faded to dull obsidian. He lay limp and defeated; Naruto had never seen his companion so tired and vulnerable before. When he spoke again, Sasuke's voice was but a rough, broken whisper, "I lied, you know."

Naruto swallowed, regaining his voice, and muttered, "Yeah, I know." He approached the far side window, crossing his arms and staring into the starry night. Sasuke just watched his orange clothed back. The blonde looked at the ground, blue eyes glazed in thought. "I mean…he was your _brother_, after all. Nothing can change that. Even if you try really really hard, he's still your brother, and you can't completely hate him." He was talking from experience, talking about Sasuke and the way Sasuke had hurt him. And the Uchiha knew that.

Sasuke shut his eyes tight and clenched his fists. "He was my _hero_, and I never hated him," he growled. Try as he might, a single tear dribbled from one closed eye. The cloak was becoming stiff as Itachi's blood began to dry. "Naruto?" Sasuke questioned quietly. "You aren't supposed to be able to kill your hero, right?"

Naruto sank down until he was eyelevel with his best friend. "I am so sorry, Sasuke," he answered. Tears gathered in his sparkling blue orbs. "It'll be okay, I promise. I promise." He wrapped his hands around one of Sasuke's. "Please. It'll be okay."

The Uchiha opened his eyes and clung to the fox boy. A second tear fell. It was followed by a third and a fourth until Sasuke could take it no longer. "Oh, Naruto, I miss him so much! He was my brother, and I killed him. I killed him!" he sobbed. "He was my world and I killed him. What am I supposed to do now?" Naruto wrapped his arms around the other boy, distinctly taking note of all the blood. Itachi hadn't gone down without a fight. Some of the wounds looked pretty deep; he'd have to find some way to get Sasuke to Sakura-chan soon. Only, Sasuke was speaking again, and Naruto's attention was torn away. "I didn't save him. I didn't even try. Oh, God, Naruto, how come I'm always letting people down?" He continued mumbling incoherently, "I couldn't save him. I couldn't save him."

Naruto Uzumaki, holder of the infamous Kyuubi, had done unthinkable things in his life. He had saved an entire village from a vicious overlord, defeated an unstoppable demon and then opened his heart, vowed to initiate a change in the Hyuuga household, brought together the legendary sanin once more, fought tooth and nail against an evil, murderous snake to try to save his best friend, faced the invincible, merciless Akatsuki twice and lived to tell about it, and saved the world more times than he could count. He was placed on a team with the famous copy-nin Kakashi (Man of a Thousand Jutsus), the controlled medic-nin Sakura (apprentice of the Godaime and who had the potential to surpass her), and Number one rookie Sasuke (the strongest Uchiha that ever lived). He could do anything. However, sitting there trying to comfort said best friend who had just murdered his older brother for a worthless, empty vendetta, Naruto knew this was one thing he couldn't fix. For the first time in his life he lied when he said everything was okay; he didn't even know where to start. For the first time in his life, Naruto felt completely helpless.

How do you comfort someone whose most important person, whose hero, lay dead by that someone's own hand? In the silent watch of the starry night, there was a shattering sound like that of splintered glass as two hearts broke, one for the best friend he couldn't save, the other for the boy who loved his nii-san.

"Revenge proves its own executioner."  
-John Ford  
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